Dyslexia in the News: Action Video Games May Help People with Dyslexia Learn to Read

[Source: Medical News Today]

In addition to their trouble with reading, people with dyslexia also have greater difficulty than typical readers do when it comes to managing competing sensory cues, according to a study reported in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. The findings suggest that action video games might improve literacy skills in those with dyslexia, which represent five to ten percent of the population.

"Imagine you are having a conversation with someone when suddenly you hear your name uttered behind you," says Vanessa Harrar of the University of Oxford. "Your attention shifts from the person you are talking to - the visual - to the sound behind you. This is an example of a cross-sensory shift of attention. We found that shifting attention from visual to auditory stimuli is particularly difficult for people who have dyslexia compared to good readers."

In the News:  The Science Behind 'Brain Training'  

Editor's Note:  Thank you to Sharon Gretz of CASANA for recommending this article

[Source:  The Atlantic Magazine]

Increasing fluid intelligence has proven beneficial for people diagnosed with ADHD, and selling memory improvement is a big business. Are the claims overheated?

In 2002, Torkel Klingberg, a psychologist at Sweden's Karolinska Institute, published a study involving 14 children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. All of the children were asked to spend a total of 10.5 hours, over five weeks, practicing computerized games that put demands on their working memory-their moment-by-moment attention and ability to juggle and analyze the objects of their attention.

Feel Good Story of the Week:  Start-Up Opens Digital Door for Students with Autism 

[Source:  Philly.com]

By Kristen A. Graham

One of the hottest start-ups in the city sprang up in an unlikely place - a fourth-floor classroom at South Philadelphia High.

Pediatric Mental Health in the News:  Frequent School Moves Can Increase the Risk of Psychotic Symptoms in Early Adolescence 

Researchers at Warwick Medical School have shown that frequently changing schools during childhood can increase the risk of psychotic symptoms in later years.  

Language Delay in the News:  An Important Role in Delayed Language Development Played by Gender and Genes

[Source:  Medical News Today] 

Boys are at greater risk for delayed language development than girls, according to a new study using data from the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. The researchers also found that reading and writing difficulties in the family gave an increased risk.

"We show for the first time that reading and writing difficulties in the family can be the main reason why a child has a speech delay that first begins between three to five years of age," says Eivind Ystr�m, senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Down Syndrome Research in the News:  Protein's Role in Human Memory and Learning Deficiency Could Explain Learning Difficulties in Down Syndrome   

[Source:  Science Daily]

Scientists at A*STAR's Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) have identified the precise role of the protein, SNX27, in the pathway leading to memory and learning impairment. The study broadens the understanding of the brain's memory function and could be used to explain defects in the cognitive development of those with Down's syndrome. The newly established knowledge could potentially facilitate exploration of strategies to improve memory and learning abilities in Down's syndrome.

Down's syndrome is a genetic condition characterized by the presence of an additional copy of chromosome 21. About one in eight hundred new-borns is diagnosed with Down's syndrome. It is a condition that leads to impairments in both cognitive ability and physical growth that range from mild to moderate developmental disabilities. Yet, there is still no treatment for it.

The 3rd Annual Great Bike Giveaway:  Special Bikes for Special Kids    

[Source: Friendship Circle]

For the third consecutive year Friendship Circle is holding the Michaela Noam Kaplan Great Bike Giveaway, a national contest giving away adaptive bikes to children with special needs. We are partnering with adaptive bike companies from around the United States to provide some of the best adaptive bikes to the children and young adults who need them most.

Providing adaptive bikes to children with special needs gives them more than just a good time and exercise. These bikes enable a child with special needs to feel like they belong. It gives them a sense of confidence, freedom, and pride that is so essential for all children.  Over the past two years we have thankfully found many willing partners who have helped make the dream of owning a special bike 

PediaStaff News:  NASP 2014! We are Here!!

We are so excited to be at our very first NASP convention, right in our nation's capital.    Here are a few shots from our first day that represent some of the new friends we've made already!

If you are reading this before Friday at 3:00 and haven't already stopped by to see us in the convention hall, please do!  - Booth #111

PediaStaff Therapy Placements of the Week:  It's a Big Time in Texas

Our PediaStaff team enjoyed helping several applicants find work in Texas this week!  Congrats to: 

• Sherri M, who had job offers from PediaStaff clients in multiple cities in Texas, and chose her favorite
• Sarah G., who is moving to Texas from California to work for a PediaStaff client in Austin; and 
• Sheri U, who had an offer and a new PT job within three days of calling PediaStaff!

And Kudos too, to our wonderful team of staffing consultants for the great state of Texas.  Come meet them in person next week, at TSHA!

SLP Resource of the Week:  WordListGenerator.net  

The Word List Generator Project has created a database of 2084 words that elementary school teachers can use to help students practice and build sounding out and word-form recognition skills. Learn more about the project and how you can help.

To generate a word list matching your students' instructional level, select parameters below-eg, to generate a list of CVC words beginning with continuous sounds, check the CVC checkbox and select "are continuous only" from the Initial sounds drop-down menu.

Seasonal Freebies of the Week:  Do You Like Free Lesson Plans? I Do, I Like Them, Sam I Am!  

Do You Like Free Lesson Plans?  I Do, I Like Them, Sam I Am!  

Dr. Seuss's birthday is March 2nd!

Grab this mother-lode of FREE, colorful printable activities and lesson plans for plenty of classroom speech-language and occupational therapy fun from HomeSchoolShare.com!

Printables and Unit ideas are available for the following books:  

ABC, The Cat in the Hat, The Foot Book, Fox in Sox, One Fish Two Fish, The Sneetches, Ten Apples Up on Top, Wacky Wednesday, If I Ran the Zoo, Gerald McBoing Boing, Green Eggs and Ham
My Many Colored Days, Horton Hatches the Egg, and The Tooth Book

App Review of the Week:  Vowel Viz  

Vowels, vowels, who has the vowels...

Also known as HOW can I get a good /r/ out of this kid?

I'm fairly sure /r/ is one of the most hated sounds to have to work on, simply because it can be so tricky and there are SO many variations. But, I'll tell you a secret if you promise not to tell anyone...I secretly like it. It's a challenge. I'd much rather have a kid with a severe sound-system disorder (read phono) than a simple artic issue. I know...I'm weird.  Even though I like a challenge, I'm always on the lookout for an app or some tool to help make it a bit easier for our kids. I mean, /r/ is challenging enough without prolonging it, right?  

OT/PT Activities of the Week:  Jump Into Learning: Kinesthetic Learning Activities